Physical Sciences Division Staff Awards & Honors

March 2013

Chemical Society Symposium to Honor Catalysis Research of Dan DuBois

Dan DuBois will be honored at a 1.5-day symposium at the upcoming American
Chemical Society meeting.

Given his scientific successes and personable nature, it is no surprise that the slots filled quickly to speak at the 1.5-day
symposium honoring Dan DuBois at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The symposium honors
DuBois' contributions, including his inorganic chemistry work and his latest award, the American
Chemical Society's Award in Inorganic Chemistry. DuBois is known for his unique
approach to designing catalysts, inorganic molecular complexes that speed
reactions. He answered fundamental questions and used that knowledge to
rationally design better catalysts; his scientific and review articles are
frequently cited. He also takes the time to inspire others and mentor future
scientists.

"When you meet an outstanding
chemist who is also so caring and personable, you don't pass up that
opportunity to work together," said Helm, who is now the Deputy Director
of the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, a DOE Energy Frontier Research
Center at PNNL.

The symposium features speakers who
have either worked with DuBois or are in related catalysis fields. Together,
the talks will provide a top-notch overview of energy-focused inorganic
chemistry research. The speakers include Morris Bullock and Michel Dupuis from
PNNL, Jim Mayer from the University of Washington, Nate Lewis at JCAP and Daniel Nocera at Harvard University.

"The hardest part of doing this was getting it down to
21 people," said Appel, who worked with DuBois while completing his
doctoral degree at the University of Colorado. "There were a lot of people
who wanted to present."

In addition to attending the symposium, DuBois will be
giving a 35-minute award keynote address. His talk promises to be a seminal
overview of his career.